Tuesday, June 30, 2009: Arriverderchi to the groups from Colorado, Texas and California and to Matteo. A few hugs and tears later Melissa and I were all that was left of our band of travelers. We will miss the friends we made along the way. I imagine emails and Christmas cards will be exchanged for a little while at least. The saddest part of this morning was saying good bye to Matteo. He has been wonderful throughout this whole trip; going above and beyond the call of duty. Not many tour guides would do what he did for all of us. He even called us from the airport to check and make sure we were all right. How sweet and special was that? He didn’t feel he gave us a proper goodbye getting the other groups situated on the bus to the airport. Getting choked up just thinking about it.
Our sadness was dissipated a tad when Aliessa showed up to “courier” us around today. Passports has provided us with guides for the days we extended our trip. This has been an added bonus. I thought we would be on our own. It was relieving to find this out just before our departure from the States. Meeting Aliessa last night and again this morning was great. We told her what we had in mind last night and this morning she had the plan, the maps and the energy to fulfill our wishes.
First we hopped aboard a city bus and headed to the Vatican to tour the museums that were closed yesterday (Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms etc). Along the way we met Jason from a tour company that offers special tours. We looked at his license and joined the group. How happy we were that we did. He has studied art in Rome for years and even studied under the head of the restoration of the Sistine. How lucky were we? Talk about right place, right time!! After the commentary tour we were able to go back and spend more time in the Sistine and could really appreciate it more now, especially knowing what we were really looking at…plus the crowd had thinned and we could move about easier. The highlight for me was the Raphael rooms. I was unable to see them the last time I was here so seeing the School of Athens and other paintings was particularly thrilling. This one was actually bigger than I had imagined…opposite of other impressions from other paintings.
What made the day more special than seeing these holy sites was the generosity of Aliessa and her father. Alissa knew we wanted to see the catacombs and also knew how long and tiring the trip would be, she too was hot from the Vatican tour and was not looking forward to an hour or so on a city bus, called her father and asked him to drive us around. At first I hated to impose but she then explained how it would be her pleasure and helpful to her as well. We then jumped at the offer. Our own special tour…again how lucky were we? Gelato, side trips to the hills of Rome to see the skyline, a surprise visit to the “Mouth of Truth” and then out to the catacombs. Dad was even getting into showing us special sites and making suggestions! He wore a special lanyard around his neck. Touring must be in the family’s blood.
A trip down the Appian Way, circling the city walls of Rome back into the city center , to the subway and to the Church of St. John where the crypt has displayed in very decorative ways the bones of the Cappuccino Monks starting from the 14th century; unusual but very interesting. The Hard Rock Café was our choice for dinner so we said our goodbyes to Alissa; thanked her profusely, kissed checks and headed inside for hamburgers and French fries and good ole rock and roll. We both stated that the guide tomorrow had some very large shoes to fill.
Today was an easy day, at our own pace, not having to wait on anyone to arrive (someone was late at least once a day). Our wish list is fulfilled. We go to Ostia Antica tomorrow to see the ancient ruins and dip our toes in the Mediterranean (actually Tyrhennian) Sea and some last minute shopping before we head back home.
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